Panthers’ Chuba Hubbard readies for familiar role. ‘Wherever they need me, I’m there’

Thirty minutes had passed since Friday’s training camp practice broke for the day, but Chuba Hubbard was still out there.

He and Tommy Tremble were on the far side of the Wofford College practice field, catching pass after pass after pass from the JUGS machine. The two had each dropped a pass Wednesday at the Carolina Panthers’ Fan Fest session at Bank of America Stadium — but Hubbard likely would’ve been out there anyway.

“It’s something I’ve been continuing to work on,” Hubbard told The Charlotte Observer after his extra reps, kneeling during his interview after hours under the Spartanburg heat.

He then explained why: “I want to be an all-purpose back. First, second, third down. And that requires catching the ball.”

Hubbard, the 24-year-old running back out of Oklahoma State, is entering his third season in the NFL and is perhaps the most prepared he’s ever been for his role in the Panthers’ offense. The Panthers’ 2021 fourth-round draft pick is coming off a year where he rushed for 466 yards and two touchdowns on 4.9 yards a carry — and that’s with mostly sharing a backfield with the prolific but often-injured Christian McCaffrey and bruising back D’Onta Foreman.

He’ll be in a similar understudy role again, it appears. A lot of that has to do with the fact that the offense will be commanded by a dazzling but still green quarterback in rookie Bryce Young, as well as the fact the Panthers went out and signed a premier back in Miles Sanders this offseason to a four-year, $25 million deal — a large contract considering the state of the NFL’s running back market. (“Miles is a great guy, very humble,” Hubbard offered. “I’m glad to be able to share the backfield with him.”)

All of Hubbard’s experience in hand, it’s worth noting: this likely won’t be the same Hubbard. He spent most of this offseason, he said, working on gaining weight that won’t go away down the stretch of a 18-week season.

“I’ve definitely gained weight,” Hubbard said. “Just working on getting stronger. These last couple seasons, throughout the season, I’ve lost quite a bit of weight as the season has gone on. And I got a little slimmer, looking like a receiver at times (laughs).

“So I definitely said I have to bulk up a little bit. Obviously still be fast and explosive and all that, so I’ve worked on it. It’s been really good so far.”

One thing he hasn’t been able to do much of this offseason is go home to visit family in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. When asked to describe his home province of Alberta, he smiled: “I would describe it as the Texas version of Canada.” He grew up in the state’s main city, where Canadian football was a close second to hockey in cultural importance.

Get him talking about Canada, and his eyes light up. And that’s particularly true when you ask about the football talent that has recently emerged from there.

Among those guys include Amen Ogbongbemiga, Hubbard’s OSU teammate, and Dean Leonard. (Ogbongbemiga and Leonard, in fact, played for the same high school in Alberta and actually faced Hubbard twice in the Provincial Finals.)

“From my state, it’s me, and two others in the NFL right now,” Hubbard said. “That’s the most I think it’s ever been. I think it’s definitely picking up.”

Despite not being able to get back to Edmonton, Hubbard said he got to see his mother and his sister when they helped him move after purchasing a new house in Charlotte a few months ago.

His family will go wherever they’re needed.

Same could be said about Hubbard himself — whether that’s catching balls off the JUGS machine after practice or anywhere else.

“To be honest, whatever they put me as, I’m following behind that,” Hubbard said of his role this year. “Whether that’s short-yardage. Whether that’s first and second down.

“Wherever they need me, I’m there.”